EXPLORING AND DEFINING WEB NAVIGATION STYLES AMONG
BLIND JAWS USERS
Presenter(s)
Marguerite Bergel
Fidelity Investments
82 Devonshire Street, V4A
Boston MA 02109
Day Phone: 617-392-2069
Fax: 617-476-0291
Email: marguerite.bergel@fmr.com
Presenter #2
Ann Chadwick-Dias
Fidelity Investments
82 Devonshire Street, V4A
Boston MA 02109
Day Phone: 617-392-1904
Email: annmarie.chadwick-dias@fmr.com
This presentation describes a study involving 21 JAWS Web users. We will
explain and illustrate (with captioned video clips from user sessions) the
effectiveness of various user navigation strategies.
We conducted an empirical research study involving 21 JAWS users. As we
observed participants completing tasks, we noted trends in their different
approaches to Web navigation including that some strategies were significantly
more effective than others. To further explore this, we performed post-hoc
analysis to define the different strategies and correlate them to performance.
From here, we grouped similar strategies into 4 basic user interaction styles
to more effectively describe and encapsulate the key differences among users’
strategies we observed. We hope this model may also help assistive technology
trainers, Web designers, developers, and vendors to more effectively design
their training courses, Web sites, and software to better meet the needs of
blind Web users.
Method
Participants in our study saw 2 sets of tasks – 1 for each prototype. Each
task set asked users to complete an equal mix of objectives such as finding
contact information or updating personal profile information.
Participants completed up to 5 tasks on each version of the prototype. We
collected task time, task success, and the navigation path.
Understanding User Navigation Strategies
Understanding how blind JAWS users can, in theory, navigate a site is
different than understanding how, in practice, they actually do. Even knowing
the full range of JAWS commands available to users reveals little about how
they will string the commands together into a larger navigation strategy when
completing tasks online. For that matter, different strategies may be more
effective at different stages in the process of completing a task. In this
presentation, we divide Web navigation into two categories: inter-page and
intra-page navigation.
Inter-page Navigation
Inter-page navigation requires a user to find a path through the site to a
content page where the desired information (e.g. contact number or a specific
form) resides. This requires adopting a cognitive model of the most likely path
through the site hierarchy toward that destination page. Problems occur when
the user’s mental model does not match the information hierarchy of the site.
Intra-page Navigation
Once navigating within a particular page, a user must either pinpoint the
exact location of their desired content or learn enough to determine that the
content is not there. Such intra-page navigation may be especially challenging
for blind users since it requires them to guess the format in which their
desired content is represented. For example, many users in our study employed
different strategies to find telephone numbers than when attempting to update
their personal profile information. In updating personal information, users
tended to look for form fields immediately (by pressing “F”). To find a phone
number, users did not bother with links list since they knew a phone number was
likely to be a static piece of alpha-numeric text.
Navigation Possibilities in JAWS and IE
For those unfamiliar, JAWS users can employ various Web navigation functions
at any time, such as:
* reading all the information on a page (“read all”)
* displaying all page links in a list and searching through it via
first-letter navigation or arrowing up and down (“links list”)
* jumping across like elements on a page without listening to the rest of
the content (different commands exist to jump between headings, paragraphs,
frames etc.)
* jumping to specific elements via hotkeys where available (shortcut or
access keys)
* searching for specific words or phrases on the page (Ctrl Find)
* verifying what page they are on (Ctrl Home)
While a user theoretically could employ any of the above tactics to both
inter- and intra- page navigation, preliminary analysis suggests certain
strategies are most effective for each. We will describe the more effective
navigation strategies for both inter- and intra- page navigation at length and
support them with captioned video clips of users from our study.
Preliminary Results
Preliminary analysis indicates that those most effective in completing
tasks (time per task and task completion) using JAWS:
* used headings to learn site and page-level structure
* accessed additional structural elements like frames and tables to learn
site and page-level structure
* avoided selecting the first link that seemed promising (especially
important given the large number of links per page on prototypes in this study)
* spent less time “getting a sense” for the home page prior to performing
tasks
* employed a wider range of inter-page and intra-page navigation strategies
when seeking discrete information
* were more effective in leveraging prior knowledge of other sites’
structure and content when “envisioning” how our prototypes might work
Web Interaction Profiles
We observed 4 primary interaction strategies employed by users as they
completed tasks. A full description of the characteristics of each, along with
associated performance metrics, will be discussed. Below is an outline of one
such profile based on preliminary analysis.
Example Profile
Users in this particular profile tended to:
* approach the site with the belief that the information they seek is
there.
* theorize, experiment, and use deductive reasoning at each step within the
task.
* be goal-oriented and ignore content un-related to their immediate goal.
* spend comparatively little time listening to the home page in favor of
scanning it to learn its overall organization and content.
* employ multiple strategies to get a basic sense of how the site and pages
were structured.
* focus on specific page content as a last step.
* Complete tasks in relatively short segments of time with high task
success.
Conclusion
While a good deal of research investigating Web navigation strategies of
sighted users exists, comparatively little has been done that helps to describe
Web interaction models for blind users. Such interaction models would paint
richer, more nuanced portraits of different Web navigation strategies than
simply thinking of them in terms of keyboard commands and sequences. Such
interaction models could prove useful in teaching users screen reader software,
establishing personas for user-centered design techniques, and designing
assistive technology products.
We learned a lot about different JAWS user Web navigation strategies, the
disparity between them and their effectiveness over time. Many participants we
observed in the lab tended to adhere to a relatively narrow set of JAWS
commands throughout. Thus the question remains, if JAWS users supposedly learn
the wide variety Web navigation methods in training, why did they not
demonstrate a broader range of strategies in our study? Furthermore, the 21
users in our study collectively possessed a great deal of valuable information.
So why did they not seem to have shared their expertise with each other? Most
of our users even knew each other socially. We even observed husbands and wives
who failed to share significant strategies with each other.
Our previous research with older, sighted users demonstrated a strong
correlation between Web expertise and time spent in collaborative learning
environments (Chadwick-Dias, Tedesco, & Tullis, 2004). Community groups for
the blind and visually impaired then might consider how to facilitate more
collaborative learning opportunities related to the Web and assistive
technologies. In our community, we have a group called Visually Impaired and
Blind Computer Users Group (VIBUG), which among other things, dedicates time in
its monthly meetings for users to ask technology-related questions and share
expertise. Perhaps this collaborative model could be encouraged at a national
level.
Because the Web largely lacks development or design standards,
understanding how best to optimize a site for blind users remains a significant
challenge. If each Web site is coded uniquely, users cannot stick to a
consistent, effective approach as they attempt to accomplish tasks. Consider
HTML headings as an example of how the lack of standards propagates usability
problems for blind Web users. While scanning the headings on a page is an
effective strategy for a blind user, many pages do not have them. Consequently,
users cannot rely on scanning headings as a primary navigation strategy. Until
more accessible Web development standards are defined and mandated, users will
be forced to approach each page with a set of potential strategies that they
can utilize. This is obviously not the ideal. Web site developers, AT
developers, and users will need to work together to better influence the
direction of Web access for the blind.
Session Style and Outline:
The presentation will be interactive and participation from the audience
will be encouraged. Captioned video clips from user sessions will support
presentation of findings.
Our presentations will be divided into the following 3 sections:
* Description of study method and background
* Discussion of Web navigation strategies and how each correlated to
performance
* Description of the 4 primary Web interaction profiles we observed,
including related performance metrics
References
Chadwick-Dias, A., Tedesco, D., Tullis, T. (2004). Older adults and web
usability: is web experience the same as web expertise? CHI Extended Abstracts
2004: 1391-1394. Available at: http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/985921.986072
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